Device for suspending clothes and like articles



Dec. 5 1950 w. H. BLACKBURN 2,533,033

DEVICE FUR SUSPENDING CLOTHES" AND LIKE ARTICLES Filed 001:. l, 1946 INVENTOR H} W H. Black burn BY %M Patented Dec. 5, 1950 DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING CLOTHES AND LIKE ARTICLES William Hall Blackburn, Lincoln, England Application October 1, 1946, Serial No. 700,527 In Great Britain October 16, 1945 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to devices for suspending clothes, fabrics, carpets, photographic and like prints, operators drawings used in workshops and like articles.

In drying clothes, which includes in addition to articles of apparel, blankets and fabrics such as bed sheets, in the open air, the edge portions thereof are first of all placed over a clothes-line and then secured by the usual pegs, the limbs of which wedge the material of the articles to bind them firmly to the line. In carrying out this operation and also in removing the pegs, the material is liable to be damaged as the tightly gripping limbs of the pegs slide over it. Silk and like knitted fabrics of delicate texture are invariably damaged in this way as the threads are easily broken with the result that runs or ladders are produced which are diificult to repair so that frequently such articles are rendered unserviceable and are consequently discarded. Thus large numbers of such articles become waste in many cases after little use and a great deal of expense is incurred in replacing them. Furthermore, in drying clothes in a strong wind, particularly clothes having a large surface area such as bed sheets and blankets, the forces imparted to the articles are of such magnitude that the-portions of the material that are tightly gripped by the limbs of the pegs tend to be pulled out of that grip so that eventually both the pegs and the articles are displaced or fall from the line and the articles are invariably soiled. Moreover, the

Throughout the following description similar parts will be designated by similar reference numerals.

Two forms of the suspension device according to the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1-3 illustrate one form,

Fig. 1 being a front elevation thereof,

Fig. 2 being a side elevation and Fig. 3 being a rear elevation, and

Figs. 4-7 illustrate a modified form,

Fig. 4 being a front elevation thereof,

Fig. 5 being a side elevation,

Fig. 6 being a rear elevation, and

Fig. '7 being a plan view.

In carrying out the present invention as illustrated in Figs. 1-3, a wedge-shaped hollow body I of rectangular cross-section is cast, preferably, in a single piece and formed of plastic material. The dies for' castingthe body are constructed so that the cast body will be provided with two opposite side walls 2 and 3 parallel one to the other and the front and rear walls 4 and 5 respectively, converging one towards the other with the wall 5 disposed in a substantially vertical plane and the wall 4 formed with an opening 6 at the lower end for manipulating a wedging roller 1, each of the parallel side walls 2 and 3 having a parallel solt 8 of suitable width extending from the narrow end of the body to a point near the top as illustrated, with the longitudinal edges 9 of said slots flush with the wall 5. Said continual relative movement that often takes place on the one hand between the limbs of the pegs and the material of the article and on the other hand between the latter and the line before the pegs and the articles are finally displaced from the line, is liable to damage the material.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and novel form of suspension device for the above mentioned purposes which will obviate the foregoing disadvantages and in which the articles are adapted to be readily suspended and firmly gripped while suspended and. also readily removed therefrom as and when required, always without damaging the material thereof; and, Where intended for attachment to a clothes or like line, the device or any desired number thereof may be attached to the line prior to suspending the clothes or the like and said device or devices may remain on the line indefinitely, so'that both hands of the user may be free to carry out the suspension of the article or articles of clothing or the like from the device or devices thus facilitating that operation.

and the top edge of each of the parallel walls 2 and 3 is shaped to form a hookmember I I which is suitably disposed to permit the device to be suspended with the slots 8 and the adjacent wall 5 with which they are flush, extending substantially vertically.

A steel torsion spring is secured at the upper part of the body cast in the aforesaid form. This spring comprises essentially a coil portion I2 and an arm having a downwardly curved portion I3, an upwardly curved portion I4 and a finger piece I5, and is mounted a suitable distance from the Wall 5 about pins I6 and I1 secured in the thicker upper portions I9, IQ of the ribs I0, I0 so that said arm extends over the top of the body approximately centrally between the two hook members I I, I I and in addition to its main function of securing the body of the device to a line or the like, serves also to prevent displacement of the roller from the open upper end of the body.

The wedging roller 1 which may be made also of plastic material is adapted to be inserted in the body I through the open top and is freely movable therein, the dimensions of the roller 1 being such that the fiat ends thereof are disposed closely adjacent the said parallel side walls 2 and 3 but suflicientiy clear thereof to permit free movement within the body except at the narrow end where the distance between the two converging walls 4 and 5 is such that the circum ferential periphery of the roller 1.: willv engage.-

both of these walls.

In using the improved suspension device constructed as above for drying clothes and the like for example, the user first of all securesone or more Of them to the clothes-line. This. is accomplished by first of all depressing the arm l3, M of the the torsion spring through the finger piece l5 until it reaches a position below the honkrsha-ped' members. I. SO? that it will: be clear of thevopeningsll thereof; The user then slips the hook-shaped members onto the line anch-reileasesithex arm: I3 I4: of thetorsion. spring" l2 which thrusts. against the underside of: the: lineto press it hardaagainst the upper portion 25 of each of the hook-shaped members; t and:inso doing bendsetim line-upwardly between. those members thus lockingrthe device against displacement alongithe' line. ()nceasnumber of: the devices has beansecureditoythe line as described above, all' of themzcarrremain thereon. for' any desired period or indefinitely Having secured the device or devices-to. the line,. both hands of the user will then be free;- to suspend. thearticle or: articles of clothing or the like; In carrying out that operation, the? user takes a suitable. edge; portion. ofv the material to be suspended. and. exertsza. light pull thereon: in opposite. directions while. heldiin b'oth'hand's; in orderrtoflattenr that part or thematerial: which. is: to. be inserted" in.

thetdevicez. While: still held inthat way, thematerialiiszinserted upwardly inthe slots 8i close to" the inner surface.- or. the. wall 5" when the roller will. beraisedj and also moved forwardly asmall amount. which is just sufficient to permit the thickness of the: material" to lie between the innerface of the wall 5: and the cylindrical sure face ofthe' roller 11- In'- some cases and where convenient, the user-may displace the roller l upwardly andforwarclly asmall amount by hand when suspending any article of clothing or thelilie as by inserting his or her thumb or finger: through the opening'E a-nd' the lower open end" of the body I. Having inserted the article of clothingor' the like in the device in the airesaid manner, the-user removes his or herhand'sfrom the former which will thenbe automatirall ywedged firmlybetween the wall and the roller 7-, the' weig-ht of the clothing or the like and any force applied to it that may tend to remove it from the device serving to wedgezit morefirmly thereto'by the action of the roller 1 which tends to roll downwardly under the actionof suchforces. It will be observed that in wedgi'ng the material of the article of clothing or' the" like in the device, theroller T simply makes contact with it and should any fairly large forces be applied-tothe material, an extremely small roll ing action only can take place between it and the" roller as the latter tightens the" material thedevice, so'thatv damage tothe fibres of ma. terial of a delicate texture will be obviated.

When it is desired to remove the article or clothing or the like from the device; it is only n necessary for the user to impart a light upward pressure to the roller 1 through the opening 6 and the open lower end of the body when said article of clothing or the like will be released instantly.

It will be understood that when, for example, the device described above is applied to drying clothes having a large surface area, the opposite ends of the'material can be suspended initially from two suspension devices secured to the line acomparatively short distance apart when the hands of. the-user will be free to manipulate either of these two suspension devices in order to release the spring clip or clips thereof and slide one or each of them in turn as required alongthe line until the article to be dried is exposed over its maximum area when additional intermediate suspension devices may be attached to-the line if required.

It will also be understood that in suspending material. havingqamore rigid nature thanarticles of clothingand other fibrous material; such as thick. paper, the usercan hold that material! in any desired manner and a suitable edgee por tionotthe flat surface thereof si-mpl-yinserted upwardly in the slots f. the devicerbetweenthe inner face of. the wall 5 and theroller 1 so that where the surface area is'compara-tively small the user only needs. to employa'one' hand to suspend the. material from the device.

According to: a further construction of myim:- proved: suspension deviceras. illustratedin Figs. 4-7; a wedgeeshaped body I, constructed" of sim:-- ilar. formto that particularly described. above and formed of. plastic material in which it is cast,

comprises a. vertical wall 5'that isreinforcedby; ribs Iii. Instead of a: spring clip and hook de-- vice for, securingit to a line, each parallel. slot 8 inthe two-parallel side walls 2: and 3 starting; at the bottomiwith' straight edge portions 9 that. are: flush with the verticalwa'll: 5" and: the upper" portions of. said slots: are" tapered in: an upward. direction; at-2l1 'to permit therline" receivediinthe two 'pa-rallel slots:.8' atthe lower end; of. the d'evice to be wedged= irrthetapered portion. ZD upon thrusting: the device downwardly on: to the line;- The convergent wall 4" which is sloped: inv respect to the vertical fronts wall: extends for: a partof thedepthof: thebo'dy-from the'lower' end and may beterminated at approximately midway of the height-of the body at 21 and from that point the. adjacent edgesof: the parallel side walls 2" and-3; are slopedinwardly'to-the'to'p as indicated at 22 Fig. 5 to re'duce the width of these 'wallsatl 1- that point preferably approximately to that at thenarrow end of the wedge=shaped body I. A-fter'inserting the-roller T'through the upper end of the body thus" formed; thespace between thesaidslopingedges 22 ofthe-parallel walls, is closed partially or "completely by a plate of plastic material- 23 provided to prevent the roller escaping through the top of the device.

Although I'have particularly described above, two forms ofmy improved suspension device, I

=' wish it t'o-beun'derstood thatI may" modify'the constructiorr as desired without departing from" the" characteristic features of'my present inven tion. Furthermore; although I have particularlydescribed the forms'of thedevice constructed of plastic material by castihg; they may be cast in anyother suitablematerial, for example, any desired metalsuch as aluminium; or they may bec'onst-ructed of wood or like-material and the roller may be constructed in any similar materials or or glass or the like:

What I claim is:

A self-contained and removably mountable suspension device of the class described comprising an integral hollow body of rectangular crosssection, open at the upper and lower ends and having flat front and rear walls converging downwardly towards each other with one of said walls extending substantially vertically and the other of said walls extending obliquely thereto from the lower part of the said hollow body for a part of the length thereof and flat side walls parallel one to the other, upstanding slots in the side walls open at their lower ends and tapering upwardly at the upper part of each side wall, the upper tapering portions of said slots serving to support the device from a line like support by the wedging action thereof while the lower portions serve for insertion of the material to be suspended from the device, a roller arranged loosely in said hollow body so that its cylindrical periphery engages throughout its length said oblique wall and wedges the portion of the material inserted through said side wall slots against the said substantially vertically extending wall under the action of gravity and the weight of the suspended article, external ribs on said substantially vertically extending wall to obviate springing of that wall under the wedge action of the roller, and guard means extending between the side walls at the upper part of said body to prevent displacement of the roller from the upper end thereof.

WILLIAM HALL BLACKBURN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 446,486 Benthuysen Feb. 17, 1891 1,215,760 Barnes Feb. 13, 1917 1,257,406 Sauerman Feb. 26, 1918 1,312,926 Sherman Aug. 12, 1919 1,417,009 Woodward May 23, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 57,131 Germany June 15, 1891 370,449 Germany Mar. 3, 1923 413,922 Germany May 22, 1925 

